Turn it Down! Cavalcade's 'Cavalcarnival' album release party

Cavalcade

"Cavalcarnival" Album Release Party

Friday, May 3 @ Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing.  7 p.m.18+. $8, $6 adv.

Back in 2008, Cavalcade released its debut “Into Bolivian” LP, an abstractly heavy disc steeped in blackened noise and psych-doom, and has remained a bizarre force on Lansing’s metal scene. Next week, the band releases its third proper album, “Sonic Euthanasia,” at a festive event dubbed “Cavalcarnival.” The evening, hosted at Mac’s Bar, not only celebrates the new record but also features an onslaught of Michigan bands such as Cavalcade, Centenary, Locust Point, The Jackpine Snag, Brown Company and They’re Dead.

Of course, hearing the songs live at the “Cavalcarnival” might be the best way to digest the fresh batch of Cavalcade tunes. The event is not only a record-release show, but also debuts a new Cavalcade brand hot sauce —blood orange habanero — along with other oddball goings-on. 

“Think Tobe Hooper’s ‘Funhouse’ film, ‘The Muppets’ and ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ all rolled into a concert,” explained guitarist Brad van Staveren.

As for “Sonic Euthanasia,” bassist Craig Horky said it’s nothing like its predecessors. “This one is heavier, yet we incorporate even more weirdo instruments than ever before.”

Cavalcade, which also comprises Sean Peters (vocals, keys), Cale Sauter (guitar, sax, melodica), and Christian Urabazzo (drums), has undergone a few lineup changes over the years, but this formation has remained intact for a couple albums now. “This is our second full-length with both Christian on drums and Sean on vocals,” Sauter said. “I think this is where this lineup fully coalesced into a band.”

Album art for Cavalcade's new LP, "Sonic Euthanasia."

Going into the recording process, Cavalcade didn’t have a lyrical theme in mind, but one soon arose.

“Sean, Craig and I all contribute lyrics,” Sauter said. “Ultimately, we realized there was a running vibe of bad decisions and the struggle to find some sort of peace—be it mental, physical, or financial. As lyricists, all three of us tend to be most productive when we’re bleeding out negativity and terrible thoughts in our songs rather than letting it seep into our lives and our actions.”

As for the new disc’s auditory side, while it was mixed and mastered by local engineer Joey Vernon at Project Sound Design studios, the band’s vocalist recorded the entire track list at his home setup.

“Sean has taken his basement studio to new levels,” Sauter said. “He’s recorded all of our albums, spanning before he was even in the band, so it cuts out the learning curve that comes with some of our methods and idiosyncrasies. He’s convinced us to be a little more serious about not self-sabotaging with cheekiness or other sorts of purposefully off-putting art damage.”

And while Cavalcade might’ve entered the local scene as the odd-men-out, some fellow avant-garde contemporaries have cropped up over the years.

“The current metal scene is also full of mutant weirdos,” Horky said. “Bands like Teething, Hordes, Brown Company and Drink Their Blood. They also all have something unique happening that embraces the strange.” For a taste of that unique brand of heaviness, Horky said the new album is stacked with outside-the-box structures and tones. “The new track ‘Here and Now’ is peak ‘90s loud or quiet dynamics, and probably also the prettiest tone I’ve ever nursed from a bass,” Horky confessed. ‘Aspirate’ is the most fun to play live. It’s a black-metal song with a funky bass line and tons of Omnichord and Theremin. ‘Freezing in Fire’ was just studio-experimentation mayhem.”